"Two idiots!" Okada Izō's eyes were bloodshot as he fled for his life.
Yet no matter how he ran, the chill at his back only grew sharper.
"Damn it, damn it—"
Okada Izō abruptly changed direction, leaped through the window of a japanese confectionery shop, vaulted over the counter, and crashed out through the front door.
That flying "Demon Swordmaster" had already set his sights on him, so he absolutely could not return to the Tosa Domain compound. At the very least, Teacher Takechi could not be implicated!
The sharp edge behind him drew ever closer.
"Yaaah!"
The manslayer's eyes were so red they seemed ready to weep blood. He suddenly stopped fleeing, twisted halfway around with all his strength, and instinctively thrust the blade in his hand backward.
No blades met. The chill silently dissipated.
Okada Izō remained frozen in the posture of a desperate final strike, drenched in sweat from head to toe. In an instant, his clothes were completely soaked through.
"Ha, haha..." Okada Izō dropped to one knee, almost unable to keep hold of his sword.
He did not know what had happened, but at least for this moment, he had survived.
I'm About to Kill You!
"Have the Shinsengumi clean up the mess."
After returning to the small courtyard, Hebe spoke to Kondō Isami, who stood at the entrance.
The former Shinsengumi commander wore a deeply troubled expression. The Shinsengumi enforced the exceptionally harsh Shinsengumi Law, and once someone left the Shinsengumi, only seppuku awaited the deserter.
In other words, by the Shinsengumi's internal standards, Kondō Isami should have killed himself on the night he returned.
Fortunately, Hebe's existence provided the perfect excuse. The Demon Vice-Commander had pondered it for an entire night before finally deciding to ignore it.
—Ignore Kondō Isami's departure, and ignore